Zenzile Miriam Makeba (1932-2008), also known as Mama Africa, was beyond dispute one of South Africa's true legends. Born March 4, 1932 in Johannesburg, Miriam Makeba was barely 21 years old when she, as a member of the Manhattan Brothers, reached for the stars in her home country. It didn't take long before Miriam Makeba's career was brought to another level. In 1966 she received a Grammy Award for the album An Evening with Harry Belafonte & Miriam Makeba, making her the first African artist to win a Grammy. Read Full BioZenzile Miriam Makeba (1932-2008), also known as Mama Africa, was beyond dispute one of South Africa's true legends. Born March 4, 1932 in Johannesburg, Miriam Makeba was barely 21 years old when she, as a member of the Manhattan Brothers, reached for the stars in her home country. It didn't take long before Miriam Makeba's career was brought to another level. In 1966 she received a Grammy Award for the album An Evening with Harry Belafonte & Miriam Makeba, making her the first African artist to win a Grammy. Her star rose further when she released her 1967 globally acclaimed Pata Pata, including the worldwide hit "Qongqothwane" (better known as the 'Click Song'). Shortly thereafter she published her autobiography .
Miriam Makeba used her voice to entertain, but also to give a voice to millions of oppressed fellow South Africans who suffered as a result of apartheid. The price she had to pay for her actions was high, namely her South African citizenship. After she appeared, in 1960, in the an anti-apartheid documentary Come Back, Africa, the South African regime banned her from returning to her home country and took away her citizenship.
This event didn't stop her from continuing to raise her voice against the apartheid regime. Between 1964 and 1975, as a United Nations delegate of Guinea where she was granted asylum, Miriam Makeba addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations regularly on the tragic developments in South Africa.
Meanwhile she carried on singing, a process in which she put South African music on the map. Over the years Makeba worked with artists as Joe Sample, Stix Hooper, Arthur Adams, and David T. Walker of The Crusaders. In the late 1980's she joined Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo during their world-wide Graceland tour and in 1990 she worked with Odetta and Nina Simone for the One Nation tour.
Following Nelson Mandela's release from prison, the citizen of the world Makeba returned to South Africa in December 1990; more than thirty years after she went in exile. In April 1991 she performed her first concert in her homeland in three decades.
The years after were busy ones for Makeba. She starred in the South African award-winning musical Sarafina! , about the 1976 Soweto youth uprisings, playing the role of the title character's mother. She then reunited with her first husband, trumpeter Hugh Masekela, for the Tour Of Hope. She also performed at the Vatican's Nevi Hall during the world-wide broadcasted show, Christmas In The Vatican. In 2000 Makeba released the grammy-nominated Homeland, her first studio album in a decade. In 2002 she shared the Polar Music Prize with Sofia Gubaidulina, in recognition of her exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music.
After her return to South Africa Miriam Makeba recorded over ten albums. In 2004, at the age of 72, she relased Reflections honoring the tenth anniversary of the end of apartheid in South Africa. In that same year Makeba was voted 38th in the Top 100 Great South Africans. She also started a 14 month worldwide farwell tour in 2005, holding concerts in all countries she had visited during her life.
With an impressive career spanning more than four decades Miriam Makeba is, indeed, one of the most respected, loved and cherished treasures in (South) Africa.
On the early morning of 10th of November 2008 she died at the age of 76 after being taken ill near the southern Italian town of Caserta, after performing at a concert against organized crime.
Source: Miriam Makeba, A true South African musical Legend
Discography on last.fm
External links:
Official website
Unofficial website
Movie database
Miriam Makeba used her voice to entertain, but also to give a voice to millions of oppressed fellow South Africans who suffered as a result of apartheid. The price she had to pay for her actions was high, namely her South African citizenship. After she appeared, in 1960, in the an anti-apartheid documentary Come Back, Africa, the South African regime banned her from returning to her home country and took away her citizenship.
This event didn't stop her from continuing to raise her voice against the apartheid regime. Between 1964 and 1975, as a United Nations delegate of Guinea where she was granted asylum, Miriam Makeba addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations regularly on the tragic developments in South Africa.
Meanwhile she carried on singing, a process in which she put South African music on the map. Over the years Makeba worked with artists as Joe Sample, Stix Hooper, Arthur Adams, and David T. Walker of The Crusaders. In the late 1980's she joined Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo during their world-wide Graceland tour and in 1990 she worked with Odetta and Nina Simone for the One Nation tour.
Following Nelson Mandela's release from prison, the citizen of the world Makeba returned to South Africa in December 1990; more than thirty years after she went in exile. In April 1991 she performed her first concert in her homeland in three decades.
The years after were busy ones for Makeba. She starred in the South African award-winning musical Sarafina! , about the 1976 Soweto youth uprisings, playing the role of the title character's mother. She then reunited with her first husband, trumpeter Hugh Masekela, for the Tour Of Hope. She also performed at the Vatican's Nevi Hall during the world-wide broadcasted show, Christmas In The Vatican. In 2000 Makeba released the grammy-nominated Homeland, her first studio album in a decade. In 2002 she shared the Polar Music Prize with Sofia Gubaidulina, in recognition of her exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music.
After her return to South Africa Miriam Makeba recorded over ten albums. In 2004, at the age of 72, she relased Reflections honoring the tenth anniversary of the end of apartheid in South Africa. In that same year Makeba was voted 38th in the Top 100 Great South Africans. She also started a 14 month worldwide farwell tour in 2005, holding concerts in all countries she had visited during her life.
With an impressive career spanning more than four decades Miriam Makeba is, indeed, one of the most respected, loved and cherished treasures in (South) Africa.
On the early morning of 10th of November 2008 she died at the age of 76 after being taken ill near the southern Italian town of Caserta, after performing at a concert against organized crime.
Source: Miriam Makeba, A true South African musical Legend
Discography on last.fm
External links:
Official website
Unofficial website
Movie database
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Emabhaceni
Miriam Makeba Lyrics
The rain has moved on
And left a new day
Nothing seems to move, everything is still
It's just a perfect day
The shadows and light
That move with the wind
Hidden violets grow splashed with summer spray
Just another perfect day
On the wild and misty hillside
Fear is nature's warning
Hunger here is never far away
And all of this world
Is for children who play
Days that never end, always should remain
Another perfect day
Contributed by Stella A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them
Errol Swan
This an ethnic song.ย
Makeba is singing in the Zulu language, and about Zulu culture and history.ย She is Xhosa (same ethnic group as Nelson Mandela).ย The song tells how she will not go to Zulu land because that's where her mother died.ย Presumably, this is the land where young girls who are ready to be married (Izintombi) bathe in a love portion that makes men cry.ย Makeba' s Xhosa mother could not compete with this kind of portion (we guess this is how she died).ย
She (Makeba) sings she wouldn't date in Zululand; she will not date in the land of the traditional.ย This is the land in which Shaka used his spears to conquer his enemies (the Xhosa).
Makeba's song can be interpreted as a protest against Zulu cultural hegemony, or it can also be interpreted as a song that brings awareness of the different ethnicities that make up the rainbow nation.
Of course, this is a folk song designed to pass on cultural history.
Ntuthuko Zwane
Kukhali insizwa = Kukhali = Ku = Khoi = Nkomo = Gombe = Ngobe = Ncube (these are the Ndlela Hlubi's who are Swati-Sothos who live mostly around and in Lesotho - the Lesotho King is from this clan - Khambule-Ndlela-Seme-Msweli-Siwela-Nsele-Mthiyane etc.). Khai is also the Khali or Giga or Kiga (or Kigali) of the Ndlovu/Tlou clan of Zulu-Sothos. They are also Swazis, so you will find a lot in Swaziland. They are a Ntombi clan. Ndlela in Sibiya folklore is called Manyelela or Nyerera in Nyanja/Chewa in Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique or Jele or Njelele or Nzhelela in Venda.
Ngai is also the progenitor of the Gikuyu with Mumbi who then bore Mukuyu (a fig tree or mKhiwane as we call it in South Africa). They say Khiwane came from heaven but do not seem to be aware than Zulu = Heaven.The Gikuyu and Barolong and Mhlongo and Langa-Dlomo clan is one. The Khai can is coastal and is mostly in South Coast KZN.
Insizwa = amaDoda = Dingo Dinga = Dikodai (Zikode??? or Roda or Kodey) - to bear a Zulu royal now, you would have to be of Insizwa + Intombi heritage amongst other things. AmaDoda also Donda or Tota or Dodinga or Dodika or Dodida or Dolinda. I think the Ndwandwe and the Khumalos and other Langa-Mntungwa people fit in here. These become kings and Zwane becomes Prime Minister.
Angiqomi KwaZulu - I do not get married to a Zulu. She cannot get married to a Zululand man by custom BUT,
Ngiqom' emaBhaceni - ngiqoma emaBhaceni - AmaBhaca are Zulu, by the way, from Ntombela of the Zwane/Zwana as they say it. But they come from Madzane's or Madzikane's line from the Gumedes. But they are Izinsizwa or Amadoda.
This is a song, young girls would sing to carry custom forward on who you can marry and not marry.
Do not forget that Makeba = Mageba. Mageba is the common ancestor of all Zulus. She might have been a Xhosa-speaker but her father was from Swaziland (a territory marked off along colonial lines dividing people who always saw themselves as one with Swazis, in fact, most Zulus are of Swazi or Zwane or Kunene descent. A lot of Swazi residents came from Zululand. Back in the day, we could move freely between territories and they all belonged to all Ngunis.
sellingon
feeling nostalgic for northern exposure in 2020.
ลฝeljka Goriฤki
Thank you so much! :)
R Payne
I first heard this song on the 'Northern Exposure' '90's tv programme. Years later I still find myself singing it and humming along to the tune in my head.
bemaniac2
It is Zulu lol. THere is no such language as Tanzanian
ลฝeljka Goriฤki
so, do you perhaps know where I could find the lyrics and the translation? thanks in advance!
sharon mogale
her appearance on the Cosby show in season 8 brought me here, legend. Never Forget!
Akayla Whitus
@girlupNorth you can watch it on Filmrise go the cosby show and go to season 8 episode 10 Olivia comes out of the closet
Keekss
sharon mogale facts
girlupNorth
i wish i could find it on here
Charles Mubarak
So haunting, so essential! This is the first music. I wanted this song to be the first song my son ever heard. So when we brought him home from the hospital I made sure this was playing before I would let him be brought into the house. No matter what other problems we may have with him, his taste in music will not be one of them.